super economy engine...

[vonbontempi]

i have seen some bongos advertised with " super economy engine" what are they? and would i really only get about 25mpg from the 2.5ltr diesel !!!! surely not.

[Dolly1]

Hi, Vonbontempi,
Super Economy Engine,never heard of it,and yes 25mpg is about average.
Remember you are hauling a 2 ton vehicle about,so 25 to the gallon is the norm.
Having said that,no doubt you will hear of higher mpg,which is quite feasable,and obtainable

[Matt&JoyBongling]

Could you give us the links to these "super economy engines"? Most drivers get around 25mpg - all dependent upon load, type of driving, time of year etc. We've had between 19 and 35 mpg depending on speed in our 2wd AFT (both were long distance motorway journeys in France during the summer). One heroic member manages to get 40 mpg but he is the exception and few could manage the modifications that he has undertaken. I'd be very sceptical of anyone advertising fuel economies greater than 30mpg.

[vonbontempi]

thanks for your answers, this fuel issue is the only thing holding me back from buying one, going from 50ish mpg down to 25ish is hard to take, maybe if it think about it long enough i'll get used to the idea!
i have seen these "super economy" ads on this site, go to "bongos for sale- trade" and scroll down to the jalimports ads.

[haydn callow]

I trhink you are talking about the 2 ltr petrol.....Super economy ???
I would say you can expect 30 ish MPG on a run driving at reasonable speeds from the 2.5 diesel
But as a daily driver 25 mpg is about it.

[teenmal]

You might get 30 MPG but thats PUSHING it a bit.

[mikeonb4c]

thanks for your answers, this fuel issue is the only thing holding me back from buying one, going from 50ish mpg down to 25ish is hard to take, maybe if it think about it long enough i'll get used to the idea!

In case it helps, I dealt with that issue using the following arguments:

* A 2WD Bongo at relaxed motorway crusing speeds (65mph) can do up to 32mpg. Other equivalent vehicles (VW etc.) do not appear to manage (despite mnufacturers claims) much better, if as good. So the real decision is 'are you up for a campervan'.

* Fuel costs are going to be an increasing nightmare. The answer will lie in (large?) part in reducing car use (easy to say, easier for some to do than others I grant you) by being more selective. So think carefully. If you really are stuck with doing a lot of miles then maybe a 25mpg campervan is too much of a luxury and the nearest you might get is a diesel Galaxy/Kangoo (50+mpg - mind you, there's capital cost, depreciation and reliability to consider) or some such and a drive away awning. If you can find some 'workarounds' then you could consider a Bongo along the lines of reduced mileage = reduced fuel cost.

* A Bongo is a pet, not a car. So to some extent you pay out because it is very special and you like having it around, and its more fun to drive somewhere than almost all other cars in town.

* A Bongo is v useful. What price can you put on having your own minibus / transit van for collecting goods, kids, shared day or pub outings (with shared fuel costs if need be), collecting cheap collection-only wins (like dishwashers - we did that) on ebay

* If you are just a bit DIY able with cars, you can do servicing and small fixes yourself. Bongos are really quite DIY serviceable; I've been doing mine since I bought it over 2 years ago and must have saved hundreds of pounds.

etc. etc.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

[missfixit70]

I've got up to 32mpg on a longish run taking it really easy, but as it's my only car & used for short runs, I certainly wouldn't expect anywhere near that. If you're looking for economy - it is the wrong vehicle, but saying that it's probably one of the most economical I've had as I used to drive largish older 2litre petrol cars that you'd be lucky to get 20mpg from. I had 2 petrol 2l Renault Espaces before this & they were nowhere near as economical & crap to drive, the Bongo is a dream to drive IMO.
As has been said on here before, the smiles per mile are more important

[vonbontempi]

i hear what you are all saying, and although the mpg is an issue for me a bongo ticks most of my boxes, ie, it's automatic (i like automatics), it's diesel, it would be my only vehicle( i have a car and small van at the moment) i can carry my tools around in it, and the kids, and can take them camping etc in it when the sun shines( the kids not the tools !) now, what about road tax? what do you expect to be paying when it all changes?

[teenmal]

i hear what you are all saying, and although the mpg is an issue for me a bongo ticks most of my boxes, ie, it's automatic (i like automatics), it's diesel, it would be my only vehicle( i have a car and small van at the moment) i can carry my tools around in it, and the kids, and can take them camping etc in it when the sun shines( the kids not the tools !) now, what about road tax? what do you expect to be paying when it all changes?

now, what about road tax? what do you expect to be paying when it all changes?

TOO MUCH

[scanner]

TOO MUCH

How would you rather pay it?

Higher fuel tax?


Back to the question - it seems to depend on how and when the Bongo you buy was registered.

Some pay the flat rate based on engine cc (currently £185 I think) however some others where it has been registered based on CO2 emissions pay much more than that so be careful and check how any you are interested in have been registered.

If it's a new import and hasn't been registered yet you could be in for paying the higher rate.

[Doone]

A while back, the 2.0l petrol was being sold cheaper (Japanese auctions) than the 2.5 petrol and diesel, so you may get a bargain. Having said that, Bongo prices here have dropped overall now. We find the 2.0l petrol underpowered compared to the 2.5 V6 petrol Bongo, which flies (for a van ) or diesel. I'm not aware of the 2.0l petrol engine being 'super economy', I wonder how much more economical it is? Personally I'd go for the 2.5 diesel or the 2.5 V6.

[scanner]

With something like a Bongo torque is far more important than BHP and a diesel has more at more usable rpm than either of the petrols, so that suits me fine.

On long runs at constant speeds on the open road I easily exceed 30mpg - it's creeping around town or generally just slushing around in the lower gears when the gearbox isn't locked up in 4th that kills mpg.

[Doone]

Allans 'works van' is a 2.5 diesel Bongo; another thing that kills the fuel economy is adding heavy toys...

[missfixit70]

Allans 'works van' is a 2.5 diesel Bongo; another thing that kills the fuel economy is adding heavy toys...

Ah yeah, but you have to factor in the toys with the smiles per mile factor